The First Ball
by SpicyPepper-SweetSugar
Summary: After defeating the Wicked Witch of the West, Snow and Charming decide to throw a ball to celebrate as Emma reflects on her relationship with a certain pirate which in the end leads to a resolution. [Suck at summaries! Read the A/N inside and it should explain my idea better! R&R please! CAPTAIN SWAN (obviously) and Rated T, because I'm paranoid.}


_**A/N: Hey everyone! So a couple of days ago I posted an idea of mine on tumblr that I had about Emma's promotional picture (the one with the ball gown) and how I think Adam once mentioned in an interview that the events of season 3 would eventually lead up to that moment of Emma wearing that dress (I don't remember where exactly i read it, so don't bother asking).**_

_**Anyway, I got this idea of how after Hook manages to get Emma to remember, she and him travel with Henry to the Enchanted Forest and after they kill the Wicked Witch of the West, Snow and Charming throw a ball to celebrate. I couldn't help writing a one-shot about it, so I decided to share it with you guys too!**_

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Once Upon a Time! if I did, I would be a very lucky girl though and I would probably make Hook all mine... ;)**_

_**I do hope you like it! if you do, please review! If you don't...well, thanks for reading anyway!**_

_**P.S. I apologize for any grammar and/or spelling mistakes! English is **not **my first language!**_

* * *

**The First Ball**

_A Captain Swan One-Shot_

_Word count: 3,325 words_

* * *

"I don't get it," Emma said as she watched her mother rummage through an old wardrobe. "Why is this dress so important for me to wear tonight? Can't I just go dressed like this?" she asked. Her hand swept over the shirt she was wearing and the pants that she now saw were dirty and had a few splotches of blood on them. "Nevermind," she sighed after receiving a stern look from Mary-Margaret, or Snow, or whatever the hell they would be calling her in this land.

"This is important for me, Emma," Mary-Margaret said, working her way through the hundreds of dresses that Regina had helped restore when she restored the Enchanted Forest to what it once was.

"We defeated the Wicked Witch of the West and now, you and David are throwing a ball," Emma stated. "Can't we all just, like, sleep in or something?" She was desperate for some sleep, not having had one moment to rest since the Witch had been defeated.

After Hook came and found her and Henry in New York, it took him a good couple of days, maybe even a week, for him to get her to at least listen to him. When he had been arrested, at her request, he had accidentally triggered some memories by calling out her last name, much like he had done when she had left him on the Beanstalk. When she had gotten home, she had found one of Henry's drawings, only to find it resemble the man she had just gotten arrested and some other person, wearing green clothing. When she asked Henry about it, he told her that he'd had a dream where Captain Hook was the good guy and Peter Pan was evil. He thought it had been funny and had drawn it, just because he couldn't get the thought out of his head. This had made Emma think for a good while before finally deciding to go speak to the crazy person that was telling her she was the "Savior" or something.

After bailing him out of jail, the stranger convinced her to drink a potion (or that's what he said it was, even though she didn't fully believe him), which had caused her memories to flood back to her.

"Hook?" she had asked and he had grinned at her, just before she stepped forward and embraced him, his hand immediately going to her head to keep her close to him as he breathed in her scent.

"I knew you'd remember," he had beamed as they pulled apart, and then he had proceeded to tell her what had happened after they had been separated.

The two of them had convinced Henry to believe, which hadn't been very hard since he had had dreams about the people they had lost, but never really known why he kept dreaming of fairy tales. When they packed the few things they needed, they drove to the place where Storybrooke once was, in order to find Hook's ship and to use the small amount of magic that he had been given by Regina to bring them back to the Enchanted Forest.

Hook never told Emma the whole story on how he had found her, and quite frankly, she didn't really care. The most important thing for her now, was to find her parents, Regina and every other inhabitant of Storybrooke and to be reunited with them all.

Emma and Hook never spoke about the way he had first tried to make her remember, mostly because she wasn't ready to face the fact that he had tried True Loves kiss on her. She knew he cared about her, but she had never expected for him to believe it was true love. Because of the fact that she never brought it up, he didn't think it was worth getting into either, especially not since they had a lot of things to do once they got back to the Enchanted Forest.

Being reunited with her family was probably one of the best moments in Emma's life. Mary-Margaret, Snow, whatever, cried happy tears as she embraced her and David did the same. Regina had been the first one to run out of the castle they now lived in together when she had seen Hook's ship appearing on the horizon. She cried when she saw Henry and hugged him so hard that Emma for a second thought the kid might burst. Surprising everyone, including herself, Regina also embraced Emma, telling her that it was good to see her again. Neal was happy to see both Emma and Henry again, and hugged them both, kissing Emma on the forehead as he did. Emma averted her gaze to Hook, who was watching the reunion with a small, but yet for some reason, sad smile. David was the first one to thank him for bringing Emma and Henry back and Snow was the only one to hug him for it. Neal patted him on the shoulder and thanked him, but Hook only nodded at them all, before telling them that they needed to get to work if they were going to bring down the Wicked Witch.

He never took his eyes off of her. Through every battle they had to fight, every struggle they faced and every bridge they had to pass, he was always there when she turned her head to the right. He never spoke about the kiss in New York, but she knew that he thought about it, because sometimes, his eyes faltered when she spoke to him, and they traveled down to her lips. She couldn't lie and say that she didn't think about it too, but the priority was saving every one else. She was the Savior; she didn't get the luxury of a day off.

So when they finally defeated Wicked, she was glad that they could all go back to the castle together. She knew that the only reason they succeeded in saving the Kingdom was because everyone had worked together. Belle and Neal had separated from the group after finding out that Rumplestiltskin was still alive, but locked away somewhere in the Wicked Witch's castle. The two of them had saved him just in time and without him, the final battle would probably never have been won.

Returning home to the land without magic, wasn't an option for Emma anymore. The kingdom was restored to it's former glory thanks to a spell that Regina and Mr. Gold performed together and both Snow and Charming had decided to stay to help rebuild their old home. Henry was refusing to leave Regina and everyone else behind, and Emma had finally realised that she wanted to stay with her parents and with the rest of her messed up family. When she embraced her family, she turned around to smile at Hook. Their eyes met for a brief moment, until he turned around, got on his horse and told them they should get back to the castle, before riding off, not saying another word to them.

It hadn't even been twenty-four hours after they defeated the Witch, when Mary-Margaret had told them that she wanted to throw a ball to celebrate their victory. David had reluctantly agreed, Regina had rolled her eyes and Henry was excited to finally get to see what it was like in the Enchanted Forest, when they weren't being threatened by someone evil.

Now, Emma was sitting on a chair as Mary-Margaret looked through her old closet in search for a dress. Emma had only joked when she pointed out that she had nothing to wear, but Snow had guessed that they wore the same size and suggested Emma try out one of her old dresses.

"Have you really invited everyone?" Emma asked as she watched Snow throw yet another dress on the bed.

"Yes," Mary-Margaret said. "I have."

"Has anyone heard from Hook since yesterday?" The question she was really asking was however, "Does he know that he's invited too?" but she knew that her mother understood her.

"David went to see him on his ship as soon as we all got back," Mary-Margaret said, turning to look at her daughter. "He had been injured in the battle, but Charming helped him patch up."

Emma felt her stomach drop. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked. It was unfair that he was always there for her, but the one time he needed her, she wasn't there for him. "I should go see him," she realized. "Check on him."

"Your father said he was doing better already," Mary-Margaret smiled. "David wanted to invite him personally. He'll be here tonight and you can see him then."

Emma swallowed, closing her eyes for a moment as she imagined how seeing him again tonight would be like. She knew she cared about him, there was no question anymore. The last couple of weeks in the Enchanted Forest had proved that because she always came to him when she needed to talk about what was going on. It was always him she made eye contact with first after they fought off some flying monkeys, or Wicked's other creatures, just to check if he was alright.

"Are you excited for tonight?" Mary-Margaret asked, interrupting Emma's thoughts of the one-handed pirate. "It's your first ball after all."

Emma offered her a small smile. "As I said earlier, I would rather spend the night sleeping." Seeing Mary-Margaret's face fall, she immediately continued, "But of course, it's exciting too." She cleared her throat and Mary-Margaret went back to looking through dresses.

"Henry is excited too, you know," she said, finally taking out a light purple gown. "David asked Belle to help find something suitable for him to wear tonight." She held up the dress and smiled at Emma. "This dress will be perfect for you. I wore it once at a ball, but it was such a long time ago that I hardly even remember it anymore," her mother explained.

Emma gently took the dress from her, feeling the soft material in her hands. She held it up against her and looked into the mirror. "I'm not used to this," she said, but she couldn't deny that it was a beautiful dress. "But I could always get used to it," she smiled looking at Snow who had tears in her eyes.

"As long as we're together," her mother said, stepping forward and embracing her once more. For the first time in a very long time, Emma let out a breath of relief.

* * *

The night was- in lack of a better word- magical. Emma had at first refused to dance, but when Henry begged her to come with him out on the dance floor, she couldn't help herself. Henry wasn't satisfied with dancing with just one of his mothers though, so he grabbed a hold of Regina's hand as well and pulled her along. The three of them spun in circles together and for the first time, Emma heard Regina laugh in happiness. Dancing with Henry led to another dance with her father, one with her mother, one with Ruby and many other with her other friends. Neal finally stepped in and asked for one, just as the dwarves began playing a softer tune. the two of them danced in silence until Neal spoke.

"I get it, you know," he said, making Emma raise an eyebrow at him.

"You get what?" she asked curiously. She had no idea what he was referring to at the moment.

"That you love me," he explained. "But you love me because I'm Henry's dad and an...an old friend." Emma swallowed, but didn't speak, so he continued. "You've been looking at those stairs the entire night, Emma. You're waiting for him, aren't you?"

"Neal-" Emma began, but he interrupted her.

"It's okay," he told her. "I get it. The two of us are over and I see no reason for you not to be happy with someone else. I thought I was with Tamara, but… Well, we know how that worked out," he said, sadness in his tone.

Emma gave him a sympathetic smile and after a moment he smiled back at her.

"At least we're still friends," he continued. "Which is good, for Henry. He needs his family, no matter how messed up we might be."

"We are pretty messed up," Emma laughed, agreeing. "Thank you, Neal. For understanding," she said and kissed his cheek. The two of them separated soon after and David went up to hold a speech. There was still no sign of Hook anywhere and Emma had an awful feeling in her gut that he wouldn't show up. Instead of listening to her father's speech, she walked out of the main ball room and out on a balcony. She breathed in the chilly, fresh air and sighed, looking up at the stars.

She didn't know how long she stood there, until someone familiar spoke behind her.

"Beautiful, aren't they, love," he said and she turned around to stare at him. He was wearing his usual attire, but at the same time, he seemed...different.

"Yes, they are," she agreed, her voice so low she surprised even herself. She couldn't take her eyes off of the red vest he was wearing, as she realized that that was what was different. She couldn't recall if she had ever seen him wear it before. "You came," she pointed out. "Mary-Margaret told me that David went to invite you personally."

"Ah, yes," he agreed. "Believe me when I tell you that your father surprised me when he showed up on my ship after that battle to invite me to a ball." He fiddled slightly with a button on his coat before stepping closer to the railing to stand next to her.

"She also told me you were injured," Emma said, looking him over, but not daring to touch him in case she touched the wound.

"Nothing dangerous, Darling," he grinned. "I'm quite used to taking care of myself, but I appreciated your father's help nevertheless."

"Hook," she began, but stopped herself as she looked down and noticed he wasn't wearing his hook tonight. Instead, the prosthetic hand was in it's place. "Killian," she corrected herself. "I'm glad you're here."

Hearing his name coming out of her mouth moved him more than he would like to admit. He knew he had feelings for the Savior, and he hadn't exactly been very discreet when he tried to make her remember by kissing her. However, he knew that just as she could only focus on saving her son in Neverland, she could also only focus on helping her parents in the Enchanted Forest. She didn't have time for figuring out feelings, so he hadn't tried to push her. after all, he didn't want her to push him away.

"I'm glad to be here, Sweetheart," he said and Emma rolled her eyes at the nickname, but smiled anyway. They stood in silence for a while, until Emma finally turned to face him.

"You were the one who found me," she pointed out and Killian nodded.

"That I did," he said. "Are you asking me how I did it? Because it's quite an interesting story-"

"Thank you," Emma said before he could continue.

He stopped speaking and raised his eyebrow at her. "No need to thank me, Swan," he said, although a small smile was tugging at his lips and Emma knew perfectly well why.

"I want to thank you," she told him, a smile appearing on her lips as well. "Just to show you how much it means to me that you came back for me and Henry."

"Don't let me stop you then, love," he said, licking his lip just before she crashed hers against his. The kiss was much like the one they had shared in Neverland, but soon, they slowed the pace to something neither of them were familiar with. Never in her life, had Emma felt such an energy flow through her as she kissed someone. It was as if a shockwave of electricity was going through her body, making her feel warm and safe and happy, all at once.

When they broke apart, their foreheads were still touching, their noses brushing.

"Is that what you tried in New York?" she whispered, her voice breathy.

"I believe it was," Killian admitted.

"I think we made it work this time," Emma said, finally looking up at him a grin spreading on her lips.

"Aye, indeed we did," he agreed, her grin mirroring hers. "Perhaps we should try it one more time, to make sure it really works?"

Emma nodded. "As you wish," she told him, her eyes fluttering shut as he softly pressed his lips against hers again. This kiss was slow and sensual, and once again, both of them felt that energy inside them. There was definitely no point in denying it anymore. She did care about Killian. In fact, she loved him.

"Do you think it's too late for us to share a dance?" Killian asked her after a while. The two of them had been standing on that balcony for what felt like ages, holding hands, looking up at the stars together.

"I don't think so," Emma said, trying to hear if the music was still playing, which it probably was. "Can't we stay here for just a little longer?"

Killian smiled at her and pressed a kiss against her hand. "As the Princess wishes," he said, making her roll her eyes at him. "Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" he asked her suddenly.

"You didn't have to," Emma said. "It was written all over your face when you first came out here." She squeezed his hand lightly and turned to face him again, her face suddenly serious. "I know that eventually, something bad is going to happen because it always does," she began.

"Couldn't agree more with you, Darling," he muttered before she continued.

"I know that bad things will always happen, because let's face it, this is fairytale-land," she said. "All I know, is that I don't care what happens, as long as I have my family and the people I care about and love close to me."

"Sorry, but do you mind me if I am in that category," Killian joked, already knowing the answer.

Emma smiled at him. "Whatever happens, I want to have you by my side," she told him. "Like you've been ever since Neverland. You've always been there for me. You came back for me. I want you with me, no matter what."

"In that case I will always be there," he told her. "Or at least for as long as you want me by your side."

"Always," Emma said, closing the gap between them once again. "I know it's taken me a while to trust you, but I know now what I want, and I want you, Killian," she told him, her grip on the lapels of his coat tightening as she breathed him in.

"Then you shall have me," Killian said, closing the gap between them once more.

They didn't need to tell each other what they felt, because both knew it by now. It was all written in their actions anyway. The way he was always by her side when she needed him and the way she would always go to him first after a battle, to see if he was alright. The way they were both always drawn to each other, much likes magnets, whenever they were separated and how they both had felt that gaping hole in their heart that year, when they hadn't been together.

Killian didn't need to say it, because Emma already knew and she didn't need to say it, because he had always suspected it. But that didn't stop them.

"I love you," she breathed.

"And I love you," he whispered.

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_**A/N: What did you think? =)**_

_**Thank you for reading everyone!**_

_**Lots of love to my fellow Captain Swan shippers!**_

_**xoxo**_

_**Spicy**_


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